Michigan

P.F. Chang's China Bistro was founded in Arizona in 1993. Plans submitted to the city of Ann Arbor by Briarwood Mall owner Simon Property Group include this building elevation.
(Elevation by Aria Group Architects. Inc)

A $1.58 million plan to construct two freestanding restaurant buildings on the Briarwood Mall parking lot is headed to Ann Arbor’s Planning Commission this week for consideration.

Briarwood Mall owner Simon Property Group wants to construct two side-by-side restaurants on the parking lot just east of the Macy’s department store, which would be separated from the mall by about 10 feet.

Simon would purchase a portion of the lot from Macy’s.

“On the east side of Macy’s there was (permissible building area),” Simon Property Group’s senior civil engineer Curt Tappendorf said in August. “Macy’s came to us and said, ‘We are not interested in expanding Macy’s.’ That gave us the opportunity to backfill that area with another use.”

An aerial photo of Briarwood Mall shows the proposed restaurant buildings outlined in blue east of the Macy's department store.Simon Property Group

At more than 1 million square feet, the 40-year-old Briarwood Mall is city of Ann Arbor’s biggest taxpayer. It’s located at the corner of Interstate 94 and South State Street, and the center is undergoing a series of renovations, including energy efficiency upgrades and new entrances with automatic entry doors.

Simon — in an effort to maintain the mall’s viability — is requesting a portion of its parking lot be rezoned from P (Parking) to C2B (Business Service), and plans to reconfigure the parking lot near Macy’s as part of the restaurants project.

One restaurant would be 6,470 square feet and the other restaurant would be 7,068 square feet. Both restaurants would have outdoor dining areas.

Briarwood officials haven’t confirmed the tenants yet and said lease negotiations are ongoing, but the plans submitted to the city include building elevations for P.F. Chang’s China Bistro and Bravo Cucina Italiana — two national restaurant chains that don't have existing locations in Washtenaw County.

Briarwood’s utilities would be relocated as part of the project, and landscape islands and LED lighting would be installed, along with new pedestrian walkways.

If the project is approved, the restaurants have a tentative opening date of Nov. 2014.

Also on Ann Arbor Planning Commission’s agenda this week is a plan to construct a three-story residential addition to the downtown Ann Arbor Running Fit building at 121-123 E. Liberty St.

This rendering shows the plans for the Running Fit building at 121-123 E. Liberty St., viewed from East Liberty.J Bradley Moore & Associates

Plans for the existing one-story building call to rebuild two upper floors that were destroyed by a fire in the 1950s, as well as an additional partial fourth floor that would be set back from the building’s facade. Running Fit owners Randy Step and Steve Angerman own the building and are proposing the project, which is estimated to cost $900,000. Brad Moore of J Bradley Moore & Associates is the architect for the project.

Six housing units would occupy the building addition, and those would be marketed for lease or for sale. Along with the building addition, Step and Angerman want to replace the building’s enameled steel panel siding with a brick veneer facade.

Ann Arbor planning staff is recommending postponement of the Briarwood proposal to allow the petitioner to address issues related to zoning, landscaping, easements and utility.

Planning staff is recommending approval of the Running Fit proposal.

Planning commissioners will consider both projects at its 7 p.m. meeting on Oct. 15.

Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for The Ann Arbor News. Reach her at 734-623-2584, email her lizzyalfs@mlive.com or follow her on Twitter.